What if Malleus Malefecarum
by Katy M VT
Summary: What if Ruby told Dean how she became a witch.  Rewrite of final scene.  One shot


What if Ruby told Dean how she became a witch?

Dean left Sam in the hotel room and went outside. He started towards the Impala. He had put the Colt in the trunk, but after everything that had happened, he thought maybe he should hold on to it 24/7.

The lights started flickering. That was never a good sign. He turned around to look behind him and he didn't see anything. He turned forward again to find Ruby standing in front of him.

"So, you were a human, became a witch, went to Hell and became a demon?" Dean summed up what he had learned earlier.

"Yep," Ruby confirmed.

"Why would you become a witch?" Dean asked. He had an especial hatred for witches. They were always spewing bodily fluids. They were just gross. Plus, they hung out with demons. That was just wrong. He then realized what he was doing, but decided it was different. He didn't like Ruby.

"I lived in the 1300's in England. My mother died in childbirth when I was 3. Pretty common back then. My father was a villein," Ruby began.

"You mean he robbed people?" Dean asked.

"Not a villain, a villein," Ruby corrected. "That means he was a peasant who worked some land for a large landholder. Anyway, my father hated my sister for killing my mother and for not being a boy. Having sons was very important back then, and my father didn't have any."

"So, you became a witch to turn into a boy?"

"No. Five years after my mother died, my father remarried. Our stepmother treated us badly, but she treated my sister the worst. She beat her, made her do jobs that were beyond a five-year old, and my father did nothing to help her. This went on for years. When Pearl turned 13, our stepmother started giving her to men. "

"That's awful," Dean said. "She didn't do that to you, too?"

"Pearl was beautiful. I had a scar on my face, so men didn't want me. I used to hate it, but when I saw what those men did to my sister and how she would cry for hours after, I was thankful for it. Then one day, I met a demon, the one you killed tonight, and she told me I could help Pearl. Stop her from being hurt by men. All I had to do was offer her my soul. I said no at first, but a couple of weeks later, my stepmother sold Pearl to this big man who was always hurting her. Sold her, not just for the night, but forever."

"So, you changed your mind?"

"Yes, I went to where I had met the demon and I told her I would do anything to save my sister. That's when I became a witch. So, you see Dean, we're really not all that different are we?" Ruby asked.

Dean ignored the question and asked one of his own. "How about becoming a demon? How did that happen?"

"It always happens in Hell. You're humanity is stripped away and you become one of us," Ruby answered, knowing he was just trying to find out if it would happen to him.

"But specifically, how did it happen to you?" Dean asked. He knew he would be able to hold out in Hell, not become a demon. He just knew it. He was a good person, and stronger than Ruby.

"Well, when you become a witch, it's just like selling your soul, so I got ten years like everybody else."

Dean snorted at that.

"Well, almost everybody," Ruby amended with a smile. "The beauty of becoming a witch, was in addition to saving my sister, I could cast spells and get other things I wanted, so I'm not denying I got a better deal than you. I cast a love spell on a rich nobleman so that he would marry Pearl. It went against all social customs, but my spell was so strong it worked."

"That must have made you relieved. Knowing that Pearl was taken care of after you left," Dean said. Despite himself, he felt that he was coming to understand Ruby. She was right, they weren't so different after all.

"Yes. I was truly happy those last ten years, even though I knew I was going to die. I loved Pearl more than anything and her happiness and safety was all I wanted."

"What does this have to do with how you became a demon?" Dean asked, wondering if she was just trying to deflect his question.

"I was getting there. When I went to Hell, they tortured me physically, but also emotionally. They have this TV thing down there where you can watch what's happening up here. They showed me Pearl after I left." Ruby fell silent.

"And what did you see?" Dean prompted.

"Her and her husband. They were talking about me. Laughing at my scar, saying how they were glad I was dead. I felt so much anger and rage. I had given everything for my little sister and she betrayed me. The rage at her just ate away at me, until I became a demon," Ruby finished.

"Didn't you think it might have been a trick by the demons?" Dean asked.

"Later on, I did. But when you're down there and being tortured, you don't have your full mental capabilities," Ruby explained.

"Did you ever find out for sure?" Dean asked.

"No. This is my first time topside, since I died."

Dean nodded and stayed looking at the ground for a moment to collect his thoughts. When he looked back up Ruby was gone.

The End


End file.
